Radical Mastectomy Research Articles

Impact of comorbidity on surgical management of breast cancer in elderly patients.

e12596 Background: More than half of breast cancers are diagnosed above the age of 60 years, a quarter of which diagnosed with invasive breast cancer among those over 75 years of age. Treatment of breast cancer (BC) at this age remains a complex problem. Elderly patients often have various comorbidities that impose increased risks of complications with antitumor treatment. This leads to both excessive and insufficient treatment of BC. In patients over 75 years of age, an individual approach to treatment is recommended, taking into account their general health and life expectancy, the risk of death from breast cancer compared to other causes, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of treatment methods. Objective: To evaluate the influence of comorbidity on the risks of complications (early and delay) after surgical treatment in elderly and senile patients (pts). Methods: A retrospective analysis of the results of breast cancer treatment in 292 pts over 75 years of age, who underwent surgical treatment at the first stage in SBIH Moscow Clinical Scientific and Practical Center named after A.S. Loginov of DHM from 2016 to 2019. The initial stages of breast cancer (I and IIA) were diagnosed in 257 (88.0%) pts, 35 pts (12.0%) has IIB and IIIA clinical stages. Radical mastectomy was performed in 171 (58.6%) cases, breast-conserving surgery was performed in the remaining 121 (41.4%). Forty-six (15.8%) patients had diabetes mellitus, 121 (41.4%) had cardiovascular disease, 36 (12.3%) had heart rhythm disorders, 38 (13.0%) had chronic cerebral ischemia, and the risk of grade 3 and 4 cardiovascular complications was found in 251 (86.0%) cases. Results: In the early postoperative period severe complications occurred in 1 (1.7%) patient (acute coronary syndrome) leading to death. No local recurrences were detected. The overall 3-year survival rate was 86.3% and the recurrence-free survival rate was 89.7%. In 10 (3.4%) cases, death was due to progression of RRMS, 30 (10.3%) patients died from other causes (acute cardiovascular failure, stroke, COVID-19). Conclusions: Comorbid conditions in elderly patients after surgery did not affect the development of complications in the early postoperative period. Preliminary preoperative preparation of elderly patients (correction and selection of drug therapy for concomitant chronic diseases) reduces the risk of early postoperative complications.

Risk factors for positive margin in breast conservation surgery for localized breast cancer.

e12539 Background: Breast cancer is an evolving global concern due to its increasingly high morbidity and mortality rates. This is, in part, due to health care disparities in breast cancer patients that have been a problem for screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Breast-conservation surgery (BCS) is defined as the removal of breast tumor tissue surrounded by a margin of normal tissue and includes lumpectomy, partial mastectomy, wide excision, and segmental mastectomy. Negative margins post-BCS are necessary to avoid any breast cancer recurrence. A negative margin is defined as no gross or microscopic disease, also known as no tumor on ink. Positive margins are associated with patients who may have to undergo re-excisions with larger margins or total mastectomy, exposing patients to greater morbidity and delaying the start of adjuvant therapy. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study designed to examine factors associated with positive margins (PM) in breast cancer patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery. The Charleston Area Medical Center cancer registry was queried from 2009-2022 for females diagnosed with invasive breast cancer who had surgery for localized disease (TxN0M0), excluding those with previous malignancies. Data were analyzed with SAS 9.4 using student’s t-test for continuous variables, Chi-square or Fisher’s exact for categorical variables, and multivariate analysis to identify factors predictive of positive margins. Results: In total, 1133 female patients with mean age of 64±11 met inclusion criteria. The positive margin group (PMG) made up 10.2% of the population while the negative margin group (NMG) was 89.8%. The PMG had significantly (p < .0001) larger tumors than the NMG, 19.7±12 and 13.8±9, respectively. Multifocal tumors made up 18% of the PMG compared to 4.4% of the NMG (p < .0001). Invasive lobular carcinoma made up 20% of the PMG compared to 7.2% of the NMG (p = .003). Recurrence was significantly (p = .030) higher in the PMG compared to the NMG, 7.4% and 3.2%, respectively; however, 5-year survival showed no difference. Regression modeling showed that multifocal tumors were 4.4 times (95% CI: 2.4-8; p < .0001) more likely to be associated with PM, lobular carcinoma was 2.8 times (95% CI: 1.6-4.8; p = .0003) more likely to be associated with PM, and stage II patients were 2.4 times (95% CI: 1.5-3.7; p = .0002) more likely to have PM. Conclusions: Univariately, tumor size, multifocality, lobular carcinoma, stage II, and local/distant recurrence were all associated with positive margins. This finding was re-demonstrated with respect to multifocality, lobular carcinoma, and stage II following multivariate analysis. The results of this study may help to guide surgeons and oncologists in the management of localized, invasive breast cancer, especially in emphasizing the importance of timely follow-up in patients at higher risk and in the education of patients regarding their care.

Ipsilateral recurrence and breast cancer outcomes in carriers of BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants according to locoregional treatments.

e12584 Background: Our previous study of 255 breast cancer (BC) patients, carriers of BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants (PV), showed that patients who underwent mastectomy without post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) had higher rates of local recurrence (LR) than those who underwent PMRT or breast-conserving therapy (BCT). Our aim was to verify our previous findings in a larger cohort. Methods: Clinical data was extracted from the medical records of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers with BC, treated at a single institution between 1/2006-12/2022. Data extracted included demographics, tumor characteristics, disease stage, surgical and oncological treatment, use of RT and disease outcomes. Results: Overall, 481 BC patients with BRCA1/2 germline mutations were identified, 20 of them presented with synchronous bilateral disease. Median follow-up time was 75.3 months (range 12.5-211). After excluding 16 patients with metastatic de novo disease and 1 patient not operated for medical reasons, 464 patients with 484 primary tumors were analyzed. Of these, 234 (48.3%) mastectomies (84% were skin- or nipple-sparing, SSM/NSM, 16% total mastectomy) and 250 (51.7%) BCT were performed. In the non-PMRT group (n=153) there was earlier disease stage at diagnosis (77.6% of tumors were Tis and T1N0) compared to the PMRT group (n=81) and BCT group (4.9% and 45%, respectively, p<0.001). All had free surgical margins. LR rate in the study cohorts was 20/153 breasts (13.1%) in the non-PMRT group compared with 1/81 breasts (1.2%) in the PMRT group (p=0.003), and 16/250 (6.4%) in the BCS group (p=0.024). All but one recurrence were invasive. Cumulative incidence of LR at 5 and 10 years was 14.1% and 15.9% in the non-PMRT, compared to 4.4% and 9.4% in BCT group, respectively (p=0.034). No significant difference in overall survival was observed (p=0.39). Conclusions: BRCA1/2 PV carriers treated with mastectomy without PMRT had higher rates of LR than those who underwent mastectomy and PMRT or BCT, despite earlier stage disease. Further studies are needed to compare these outcomes to non- BRCA1/2 carriers and find means to improve local control in these patients.

Lymphedema after regional nodal irradiation for breast cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

We aimed to analyze the occurrence of lymphedema as a side effect in patients who underwent regional nodal irradiation (RNI) following surgery for breast cancer. This retrospective study was conducted on patients with breast cancer who underwent surgery from July 2014 to October 2020 at Inje University Busan Paik Hospital. The analysis included 113 cT1-3N1-3M0 breast cancer patients who underwent RNI as part of radiotherapy (RT). Mostly, surgeries were performed using breast-conserving surgery (n = 99, 87.6%), except for 14 patients with modified radical mastectomy. The total RT dose for RNI was 45-60 Gy, and the fraction size was 1.8-2.0 Gy. Most patients underwent chemotherapy (n = 98, 86.7%), including taxanes (n = 92, 81.4%). The median follow-up was 61.1 months (range, 5.0-110.5 months). Lymphedema occurred in 54 patients (47.8%) after surgery. Twenty of them (17.7%) developed a new onset of lymphedema after RT, while 34 (30.1%) detected lymphedema before the completion of RT. Over the follow-up, 16 patients (14.2%) experienced recurrence. High radiation dose (>50.4 Gy) for RNI (P = 0.003) and taxane use (P = 0.038) were related to lymphedema occurrence after RT. Moreover, lymphedema occurrence after RT was also related to recurrence after surgical resection (P = 0.026). Breast-conserving surgery was related to early-onset lymphedema before the completion of RT (P = 0.047). Furthermore, the degree of lymph node dissection (≤4) was related to the overall occurrence of lymphedema (P = 0.045). Considering a reduction in RNI dose may be beneficial in mitigating the incidence of lymphedema after RT in patients with breast cancer.

Comparison of Intraoperative and Postoperative Outcomes With Skin Flaps Raised Using Either Harmonic Scalpels or Electrocautery During Modified Radical Mastectomy.

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women. Hence, its treatment has become our utmost priority in developing countries like India. Modified radical mastectomy (MRM) has traditionally been used as the standard of care for early-stage invasive breast carcinoma and still is the most commonly used surgical treatment for carcinoma breast. The study compared the incidence of intraoperative and postoperative outcomes with skin flaps raised using a harmonic scalpel versus those raised using electrocautery. Sixty women with biopsy-proven breast cancer who had to undergo MRM were randomly assigned to undergo skin flap raising during mastectomy by using electrocautery or harmonic scalpel. Thirty patients had surgery with electrocautery (Group 1) and 30 with a harmonic scalpel (Group 2) by the same surgical team. The mean operative time was significantly longer with harmonic scalpel when compared to that with electrocautery (140.67 ± 28.55 vs. 122.00 ± 19.16 mins, P =0.004). The amount of intraoperative blood loss (178.33 ± 21.06 vs 138.50 ± 28.53 mL P = 0.001) was less in the group operated with theharmonic scalpel, which was statistically significant. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding total drainage content (310.83 ± 88.93 vs 298.20 ± 127.87 mL, P = 0.659), drain duration (6.83 ± 0.75 vs 7.43 ± 2.27 days, p=0.174), seroma (3.3% vs. 0%) wound infection (3.3% vs 0%), flap necrosis (16.7% vs. 3.3%, P = 0.195), duration of hospital stays (8.57 ± 0.77 vs 8.43 ± 1.61 days, p=0.684). Harmonic scalpels have a few advantages over electrocautery, but are not cost-effective.

Presence of molecular residual disease after pathologic complete response among patients with inflammatory breast cancer.

3044 Background: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is known to recur more frequently than non-IBC after pathologic complete response (pCR). The presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), a marker of molecular residual disease (MRD), has been associated with higher likelihood of metastasis. We sought to characterize CTCs and its relationship with pCR in IBC patients. Methods: Patients diagnosed with IBC were enrolled in a prospective registry from 2005-2022. Serial blood draws were performed before, during, and after neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST), and 6-months and 1-year post-surgery. CTCs were enumerated using CellSearch™. Patients with ≥ 1 CTC at any timepoint in the post-operative period were included in the positive CTC cohort. T-tests, one-way ANOVA, and chi-squared tests were used to compare differences between groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for survival outcomes. Results: A total of 112 patients were included. The median age of diagnosis was 50.5 years (IQR 17) and BMI was 29.3 kg/m2 (IQR 11.3). Patients were predominantly White (85, 75.9%) with clinical stage IIIB-C (94, 84.9%), node-positive (107, 95.5%), and HER2-negative (66, 59.0%) disease. Almost all patients (109, 97.3%) received trimodality therapy – NST, modified radical mastectomy, and adjuvant radiation. At a median follow-up period of 7.1 years (95% CI: 4.7-9.4), the overall survival (OS) rate was 72.3%. Baseline CTC positivity rate was 61.8% (42/68). More than half of the patients (61, 54.5%) had a positive CTC at some point in the post-operative surveillance period. Among the 39 patients who achieved pCR (34.8%), 15 (38.5%) had positive CTCs during follow-up. There were no differences in age, BMI, menopause status, clinical stage, nodal status, grade, presence of LVI, and number of lymph nodes (LNs) removed by CTC status. However, patients with positive CTCs had a significantly higher number of positive LNs at resection (p = 0.01), were more likely to be HER2-negative (p = 0.001), and were less likely to achieve pCR (p = 0.01). Triple negative disease (p < 0.0001), lack of pCR (p = 0.006), and positive CTCs (0.007) were associated with poor prognosis. When pCR was combined with CTC status, patients with positive CTCs demonstrated significantly worse survival, despite having achieved pCR, compared to those with pCR and negative CTC status (5-year OS: 35.0% vs. 83.1%, respectively, p = 0.016). Conclusions: A high proportion of IBC patients who achieved pCR had MRD, as demonstrated by persistent CTCs. CTCs portended worse prognosis in patients with IBC, even after pCR. Future incorporation of longitudinal CTC monitoring may be helpful in identifying patients at risk for relapse despite having achieved a pCR. [Table: see text]

Rapid Selection of Patients Suitable for Deep Inspiration Breath-Hold Using an Automatic Delineating System and RapidPlan Model in Patients With Left Breast Cancer Undergoing Adjuvant Radiation Therapy With IMRT

PurposeThis study aimed to determine whether radiotherapy plans created using an automatic delineating system and a RapidPlan (RP) module could rapidly and accurately predict heart doses and benefit from deep inspiratory breath-hold (DIBH)in left breast cancer patients. Methods and MaterialsOne hundred thirty-six clinically approved free breathing (FB) plans for patients with left breast cancer were included, defined as manual delineation–manual plan (MD–MP). A total of 104/136 plans were selected for RP model training. A total of 32/136 patients were automatically delineated by software, after which the RP generated plans, defined as automatic delineation–RapidPlan (AD–RP). In addition, 40 patients who used DIBH were included to analyze differences in heart benefits from DIBH. ResultsTwo RP models were established for post breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and post modified radical mastectomy (MRM). There were no significant differences in most of the dosimetric parameters between the MD–MP and AD–RP. The heart doses of the two plans were strongly correlated in patients after BCS (0.80 ≤ r ≤ 0.88, P < 0.05) and moderately correlated in patients after MRM (0.46 ≤ r ≤ 0.58, P < 0.05). The RP model predicted the mean heart dose (MHD) within ± 59.67 cGy and ± 63.32 cGy for patients who underwent the two surgeries described above. The heart benefits from DIBH were significantly greater in patients with FB-MHD ≥ 4 Gy than in those with FB-MHD < 4 Gy. ConclusionsThe combined automatic delineation RP model allows for the rapid and accurate prediction of heart dose under FB in patients with left breast cancer. FB-MHD ≥ 4 Gy can be used as a dose threshold to select patients suitable for DIBH.

The efficacy of PARP inhibitors in the treatment of patients with synchronous breast cancer.

e13041 Background: Currently, the role of BRCA1/2 in the development of primary and multiple malignant breast tumors is under discussion, along with the effectiveness of targeted therapy for this oncopathology. At the same time, there is a lack of sufficient research dedicated to the treatment of patients with synchronous breast cancer (BC) concurrent with ovarian cancer (OC) and the outcomes of using PARP inhibitors in this patient population. Methods: A retrospective analysis of treatment outcomes based on long-term survival indicators was conducted for 23 patients with synchronous BC, where the second tumor was OC. These patients underwent evaluation and treatment between 2017 and 2022. The average age of the patients was 45.3±5.6 years, with a prevalence of patients in stages IIb-IIIa of BC and IIb-IIIc of OC. Germline mutations in the BRCA1/2 genes were detected in 8 patients, among whom 5 exhibited the triple-negative phenotype of BC. The 1st group included 11 (47.8%) patients without BRCA1/2 mutations, who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 + carboplatin AUC 6 once every 3 weeks. In the 2nd group, consisting of 12 (52.2%) patients, olaparib 800 mg was added to this chemotherapy regimen. This group also included 8 patients with BRCA1/2 mutations. Results: In the majority of patients in both groups, a significant elevation in CA125 levels in serum was observed, averaging 563 U/mL, with practically normal CA153 levels at 32 U/mL. Identified mutations included 5382insC and 4154delA mutations in the BRCA1 gene, as well as the 6174delT mutation in the BRCA2 gene. Patients underwent three courses of treatment, and four weeks after completing the last course, surgical intervention was performed in the form of radical mastectomy, hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and omentectomy. Following surgical treatment, patients received adjuvant chemotherapy following the same regimens. In the 2nd group, patients continued to receive olaparib for one year, and no signs of unacceptable toxicity were reported. The median overall survival in the first group of patients was 34.2 months (95% CI: 28.6-37.5), while in the second group, it was 36.8 months (95% CI: 31.4-41.1). The addition of bevacizumab significantly increased the median time to progression from 13.8 months (95% CI: 11.8-14.5) to 15.2 months (95% CI: 12.4-15.8), p=0.042. Lethal outcomes primarily occurred due to the progression of ovarian cancer. Conclusions: Thus, the addition of the PARP inhibitor olaparib to a platinum-based chemotherapy regimen in patients with synchronous breast cancer, associated with germline mutations in BRCA1/2 genes and the presence of ovarian cancer as a second tumor, has a positive impact on treatment outcomes. This contributes to the resectability of patients and significantly increases the median time to progression.

Clinicopathologic features of patients with breast cancer in a single tertiary hospital in the Philippines.

e23313 Background: Breast cancer incidence in the Philippines is among the highest in Asia - the WHO reported it to be as high as 33,079 in 2022. Data provided by the Philippine Cancer Society and Department of Health Rizal Cancer Registry in 2009 included 1,615 breast cancer patients and noted a significant increase in breast cancer incidence from the year 1980 to 2002 in 7 cities in Metro Manila. This retrospective study aims to describe and analyze clinicopathologic and treatment data of Filipino breast cancer patients in a tertiary hospital. This study represents the largest pooled data in the Philippines on breast cancer demographics. Methods: Patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) from 2009 to 2020 were included. Patients diagnosed with other breast histopathologic results [i.e. ductal and lobular carcinoma in situ without invasive component] and double primaries were excluded. The study was approved by the Ethics Review Committee (Reference No.: SL-19157). Results: A total of 5,462 breast cancer patients were included. Majority of the patients were late perimenopausal (50-59 yo, 30.06%), menopausal (60-69 yo, 23.03%), and premenopausal (below 44 yo, 19.28%,) at the time of diagnosis. Patients were diagnosed with stage II (N = 1,816, 47.24%), followed by stage I (N = 943, 24%), and stage III (N = 662, 17%). Sixty four percent (N = 1,498) were node negative while 46% (N = 1,300) were node positive. Among patients with de novo metastasis, 14.6% metastasized to the bone while visceral sites include chest wall (17.4%), lung (16.6%), liver (11.5%) and brain (7.45%). Luminal her2- (48.9%) was the most common clinical subtype followed by non-luminal her2+ (15.6%) and triple negative (6.7%). Definitive surgery was the mainstay of treatment – 94% (N = 4116) underwent modified radical mastectomy (MRM) while 5% (N = 223) underwent breast conserving surgery (BCS). Eight hundred patients (19%) received neoadjuvant treatment (hormonal and/or systemic chemotherapy) while 2,246 patients (54%) received adjuvant treatment. Total number of breast cancer patients who underwent adjuvant radiation was 1,399 (25.6%). Conclusions: Compared to middle-high income countries, data suggests that MRM is the preferred surgical technique over BCS. Majority of patients in the study are luminal her2-. However, only 54% received adjuvant treatment. Another observation is the low rate of neoadjuvant treatment by the study population. Further research on the risk factors or reasons for not receiving treatment as well as the outcomes of these patient cohorts is needed to shed light on these cancer care gaps.

Outcomes of the Electrothermal Bipolar Vessel Sealing Device and Electrocautery in Modified Radical Mastectomy Patients.

Introduction With the rising trends in breast cancer throughout the world, the traditional modus of intraoperative tissue dissection using a scalpel, scissors, or electrocautery needs to be re-evaluated in the wake of newer modalities, such as electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing (EBVS) devices, which may theoretically reduce the postoperative complications and morbidity in these patients. Aimand objective The objective of this study is to compare an EBVS device to electrocautery (diathermy) in modified radical mastectomy (MRM), based on selected intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. Study procedure This was a comparative cross-sectional section study that included 60 patients with operable breast cancer (stages I and II, TNM classification, and post-neoadjuvant stage III disease). Patients were divided into two groups for surgery: one group underwent an MRM using the EBVS device (Group A), while the other group had the procedure performed using conventional electrocautery (Group B), as per the surgeon's choice depending on theatre slot and equipment availability. Intraoperatively, the total operative time, time for raising the flaps, time taken for breast tissue dissection, time for axillary dissection, and blood loss were recorded. Postoperative parameters included total drainage volume, number of days of drainage, seroma formation, and other complications. Patients were followed up for one month after surgery, with early postoperative complications such as wound infection, upper limb lymphedema, seroma, flap necrosis, and nerve injuries being documented. Results The groups were found to be comparable in terms of the age distribution, TNM staging, stage grouping, and nodal status of the patients. The EBVS device group demonstrated statistically significant advantages in total operative time, axillary dissection time, flap raising time, breast tissue dissection time, intraoperative blood loss, total drainage volume, and days of drainage. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the two devices in terms of seroma formation, early postoperative complications, and duration of postoperative stay at the hospital. Conclusion While the use of EBVS in MRM provides a considerable decrement in the total operative duration, duration of the various steps of surgery, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative volume and duration of drainage, these devices do not offer an evident advantage in terms of the postoperative complications or morbidity.

Prognosis of locoregional recurrence after early breast cancer with immediate breast reconstruction.

e12595 Background: Several studies have shown no difference in the prognosis of breast cancer patients who underwent total mastectomy (MT) with or without immediate breast reconstruction (IBR), which is now a standard surgical technique in the treatment of breast cancer. While some studies have reported a poor prognosis for locoregional recurrence (LRR) following breast cancer surgery, the prognosis of LRR without simultaneous distant metastasis after IBR is not known. We conducted a multi-facility retrospective observational study to investigate the prognosis of breast cancer patients with LRR after IBR. Methods: Of the 4,726 primary breast cancer patients for whom IBR was performed at 12 Japanese medical facilities between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2016, MT or skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) was performed in 3,295 patients. LRR was observed in 87 of these patients, 17 of whom had distant metastasis (n=13) or metastasis to the supraclavicular or internal mammary lymph nodes (n=4) before LRR was excluded. The measured outcomes were IBR-LRR-related prognostic factors, five-year distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and five-year overall survival (OS). The statistical analyses employed Kaplan–Meier curves and a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: The median observation period was 39.3 months and the median age at which IBR was performed was 44 years. There were 61 cases (87.1%) of invasive cancer. Sixty-one cases (87.1%) were ER-positive, 54 (77.1%) were PR-positive, and 13 (19.7%) were HER2-positive. Fifteen cases (21.4%) had pathological lymph node metastasis (pN), 60 cases (85.7%) underwent implant reconstruction, 33 cases (47.1%) had a disease-free interval ≤ 36 months, 9 cases (12.9%) had regional lymph node recurrence (RR), and 65 cases (92.9%) underwent surgical resection to treat LRR. The five-year DMFS after LRR was 92.4%, and the five-year OS was 91.2%. The relationship between DMFS and clinical pathology factors was analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model. Univariate analysis revealed significant differences for pN (HR 10.634, 95% CI 1.102–102.616, P=0.041) and RR (HR 9.960, 95% CI 1.400–70.862, P=0.022), and multivariate analysis indicated that RR was the only independent prognostic factor for DMFS (HR 7.834, 95% CI 1.085–56.587, P=0.041) (Table 1). Univariate analysis revealed significant differences for post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) (HR 130.676, 95% CI 1.552–412.278, P=0.023) and RR (HR 8.181, 95% CI 1.106–60.503, P=0.043), and multivariate analysis indicated that both PMRT (HR 61.281, 95% CI 2.540–1478.426, P=0.010) and RR (HR 15.687, 95% CI 1.354–181.772, P=0.028) were independent prognostic factors for OS. Conclusions: This is the first study to report the prognosis of breast cancer patients with LRR after IBR. Although these patients have a favorable prognosis overall, our results indicate that RR may be a significant factor for poor prognosis.

Surgical decision-making after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

e23282 Background: Following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), a significant subset of breast cancer patients become candidates for breast conserving surgery (BCS) after tumor downstaging. Studies have shown there is no survival advantage between BCS and mastectomy after NAC and that patient prognosis is largely predicted by the pathologic response to treatment. While the literature highlights many aspects of surgical decision-making in breast cancer, there is little analysis of patient choice after NAC. The goal of this study is to investigate clinical and demographic factors that may associate with patients’ surgical decision-making after receiving NAC as well as related outcomes. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on breast cancer patients at our institution who became BCS candidates after receiving NAC from 1/1/2010 to 9/30/2020. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, choice of mastectomy versus BCS, and outcomes were compared. Exclusion criteria included inflammatory, recurrent, and bilateral breast cancers, and patients with genetic predisposition. T-tests and chi-squared tests of association were used for continuous and categorical variables respectively. Survival outcomes were reported using the log-rank test. The p-value threshold for significance was p &lt; 0.05. Statistical analysis was performed using R software version 4.2.3. Results: In this analysis, 244 patients met study criteria, of which 181 (74.2%) patients chose BCS and 63 (25.8%) patients elected mastectomy. Patients who chose mastectomy were younger at time of diagnosis than those who chose BCS: median age 48 years in mastectomy group versus 53 years in BCS group (p = 0.003). Regarding physical exam findings, while palpability of the primary breast tumor was not associated with choice of surgery (p = 0.271), presence of axillary lymphadenopathy was associated with a higher likelihood of choosing mastectomy (44.4% in mastectomy subgroup versus 29.3% in BCS subgroup, p = 0.041). Patient race, pre-treatment clinical stage, and doxorubicin-based chemotherapy were not associated with patients’ decisions for type of surgery. With respect to outcomes, follow-up time was similar between both groups with overall median of 5 years, and there was no significant difference in local or distant recurrence, and overall mortality (log-rank p = 0.3). Conclusions: The majority of breast cancer patients elect BCS after downstaging from NAC. Factors that are associated with choosing mastectomy include younger age at diagnosis and pre-treatment palpable axillary lymphadenopathy, which may be perceived as more advanced stage, despite no difference in stage between both groups. Regardless of surgical choice, both recurrence and mortality rates did not significantly differ between patients who chose BCS versus mastectomy, which is consistent with the literature.

Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block vs. Modified Pectoral Nerves Block for Postoperative Pain in Modified Radical Mastectomy

Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block vs. Modified Pectoral Nerves Block for Postoperative Pain in Modified Radical Mastectomy

Solitary metastasis to the pancreas from colon cancer treated with radical surgery: A case report and literature review

This report describes a rare case of pancreatic metastasis in a 56-year-old woman with a past medical history of malignancy. The patient initially presented with right breast cancer in 2008, which was treated with a modified radical mastectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Subsequently, she developed right colon cancer and underwent a right hemicolectomy with adjuvant chemotherapy in 2015. In October 2020, during a routine examination, a suspicious lesion was identified in the duodenum and head of the pancreas. A biopsy confirmed the presence of moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Following a comprehensive multidisciplinary consultation, the patient was recommended for exploratory surgery to assess the feasibility of a pancreatoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure) with subsequent ileocolic reanastomosis (reconnection of the ileum to the transverse colon), followed by systemic therapy.

Neuroendocrine Breast Carcinoma: Interesting Images of an Underdiagnosed Entity.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer of the female gender. A rare subtype of breast cancer is the invasive breast carcinoma (IBC) with neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation. Its incident is believed to be 0.1% to 5% of all breast cancers. We report a rare case of a 66-year old woman who presented with an isolated nodule of the left breast. The patient underwent modified radical mastectomy. Pathology revealed invasive breast carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. Invasive breast carcinoma is an extremely rare group of neoplasms, the exact frequency of which cannot be determined with current data. Therefore, it is necessary for future studies to focus on the pathophysiology of this subtype of breast cancer and on the potential therapeutic approaches.

Determinants of radiation dose to immune cells during breast radiotherapy.

The immune system has been identified as an organ at risk in esophageal and lung cancers. However, the dosimetric impact of radiotherapy on immune system exposure in patients treated for breast cancer has never been studied. Amonocentric retrospective dosimetric study included 163 patients treated at the Institut Curie (Paris, France) between 2010 and 2016 with locoregional helical tomotherapy after conservative surgery or total mastectomy. The effective dose to the immune system (EDIC) was calculated based on diverse dosimetric parameters. The clinical and volumetric determinants of EDIC in adjuvant radiotherapy of breast cancer were analyzed. The median EDIC for the population was 4.23 Gy, ranging from 1.82 to 6.19Gy. Right-sided radiotherapy and regional lymph node irradiation were associated with significantly higher EDIC in univariate (4.38 Gy vs. 3.94 Gy, p < 0.01, and 4.27 Gy vs. 3.44 Gy, p < 0.01, respectively) and multivariate analyses (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01). Liver overexposure was the main contributor to EDIC increase in right-sided breast cancer patients (+0.38 Gy [95%CI: +0.30; +0.46]), while the integral total dose increase was the main contributor to EDIC increase in cases of regional node irradiation (+0.63 Gy [95%CI: +0.42; +0.85]). The EDIC score during adjuvant radiotherapy after breast cancer was statistically significantly higher in the case of right-sided radiotherapy and regional lymph node irradiation. Liver irradiation is the main contributor to immune system exposure in adjuvant irradiation of right-sided breast cancer. Populations in which an association between EDIC and survival would exist have yet to be identified but could potentially include patients treated for triple-negative breast cancer with apoor response to neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy.

Investigation of the analgesic effects of rhomboid intercostal and pectoral nerve blocks in breast surgery.

The objective of this study was to examine the hypothesis that the opioid consumption of patients who receive a rhomboid intercostal block (RIB) or a pectoral nerve (PECS) block after unilateral modified radical mastectomy (MRM) surgery is less than that of patients who receive local anesthetic infiltration. Eighty-one female patients aged 18-70years who underwent unilateral MRM surgery with general anesthesia were randomly allocated to three groups. The first group received an RIB with 30ml of 0.25% bupivacaine on completion of the surgery, and the second received a PECS block with the same volume and concentration of local anesthetic. In the third (control) group, local infiltration was applied to the wound site with 30ml of 0.25% bupivacaine at the end of the surgery. The patients' total tramadol consumption, quality of recovery (QoR), postoperative pain scores, and sleep quality were evaluated in the first 24h postoperatively. Both the RIB (58.3 ± 22.8mg) and PECS (68.3 ± 21.2mg) groups had significantly lower tramadol consumption compared to the control group (92.5 ± 25.6mg) (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). Higher QoR scores were observed in the RIB and PECS groups than the control group at 6h post-surgery. The lowest pain values were observed in the RIB group. The sleep quality of the patients in the RIB and PECS groups was better than that of the control group (p < 0.001). Compared to local anesthetic infiltration, the RIB and PECS blocks applied as part of multimodal analgesia in MRM surgery reduced opioid consumption in the first 24h and improved the quality of recovery in the early period.

The trajectories of psychosocial adjustment among young to middle-aged women with breast cancer: A prospective longitudinal study

PurposeThis study aims to explore heterogeneous trajectories of psychosocial adjustment among young to middle-aged women with breast cancer and determine the predictive factors influencing these trajectories. MethodsThis study was conducted from October 2019 to October 2022 across two hospitals in Guangzhou. Demographic and disease characteristics, psychosocial adjustment, self-efficacy, social support, and coping modes were collected at baseline. Follow-up evaluations of psychosocial adjustment occurred at 1, 3, and 6 months post-surgery. Latent class growth modeling identified distinct patterns of psychosocial adjustment trajectories. Logistic regression analysis determined the predictive factors. ResultsA total of 377 young to middle-aged women with breast cancer participated in this study, with 289 participants completing the 6-month follow-up. Three distinct trajectories of psychosocial adjustment were identified including a "sustained severe maladjustment" trajectory, comprising 22.5% of participants, a "sustained moderate maladjustment" trajectory, comprising 50.4% of participants, and a "well-adjusted class" trajectory, comprising 27.1% of participants. Predictors of psychosocial adjustment trajectories included affected side, surgical type, chemotherapy, self-efficacy, social support, and coping modes. ConclusionsThis study revealed three distinct trajectories of psychosocial adjustment among young to middle-aged women with breast cancer. Those with right-sided breast cancer, undergoing total mastectomy, receiving chemotherapy, low self-efficacy, limited social support, and relying on confrontation or avoidance coping modes may experience sustained maladjustment.

Breast cancer burden in eastern Sudan: seven-year retrospective study.

Breast cancer (BC) is prevalent in Sudan, yet data on its epidemiology in Eastern Sudan is limited. This study aims to provide insights into the demographic and clinicopathologic features of BC patients treated at the East Oncology Centre (EOC) in Gadarif State, Eastern Sudan. Furthermore, we aim to identify the factors that contribute to a late-stage diagnosis. This cross-sectional study included patients diagnosed with BC and treated in the EOC between 2016 and 2022. Data obtained from medical records were analysed using R software, with descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regressions applied to determine determinants of advanced-stage presentation. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Among the 394 patients studied, the majority were women (96%), married (66%) and from rural areas (43%). The peak years for BC diagnoses were 2018 and 2022, with a median age at diagnosis of 48 years. A family history of cancer was reported by 20% of patients. Clinical stages were distributed as follows: I (1.6%), II (17%), III (50%) and IV (32%). Twenty-five percent tested positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, while 73% tested negative and 43% had triple-negative BC. Modified radical mastectomy was performed in 47% of patients, with 21% undergoing breast-conserving surgery. Treatment rates were 38% for radiotherapy, 84% for chemotherapy and 46% for hormonal therapy. Higher grade BC and lower education levels were associated with advanced-stage presentation, while a family history of cancer reduced the risk of advanced-stage disease (OR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.18-0.78). The study found that females in East Sudan often present at a young age and advanced stage, with a significant prevalence of triple-negative BC. Notably, family cancer history exhibited a protective effect against advanced-stage presentation, while grade 3 cancer was positively associated with advanced disease.

The impact of loco-regional treatment modality on the outcomes in breast cancer patients younger than forty years of age

PurposeTo determine the impact of the loco-regional treatment modality, on the loco-regional recurrence (LRR) rates and overall survival (OS) in breast cancer patients younger than 40 years.MethodsData of 623 breast cancer patients younger than 40 years of age were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were stratified according to the locoregional treatment approach into three groups: the mastectomy group (M), the mastectomy followed by radiation therapy group (MRX) and the breast conservative therapy group (BCT).ResultsMedian follow-up was 72 months (range, 6-180). Two hundred and nine patients were treated with BCT, 86 with MRM and 328 with MRX. The 10-year rate LRR rates according to treatment modality were: 13.4% for BCT, 15.1% for MRM and 8.5% for MRX (p 0.106). On univariate analysis, T stage (p 0.009), AJCC stage (p 0.047) and Her 2 status (p 0.001) were associated with LRR. Ten-year overall survival (OS) was 72.7% (78.5% in the BCT group, 69.8% in the MRM group and 69.8% in the MRX group, p 0.072).On Univariate analysis, age < 35 (p 0.032), grade III (p 0.001), N3 stage (p 0.001), AJCC stage III (p 0.005), ER negative status (0.04), Her 2-status positive (0.006) and lack of chemotherapy administration (p 0.02) were all predictors of increased mortality.ConclusionFor patients younger than 40 years of age, similar LRR and overall survival outcomes were achieved using BCT, M or MRX. Young age at diagnosis should not be used alone in recommending one loco-regional treatment approach over the others.